Intense heatwave conditions persisted across Madhya Pradesh on Friday, with the state capital Bhopal experiencing its third consecutive day of scorching temperatures near the 43-degree Celsius mark. Several districts remained under heatwave alerts issued by the meteorological department.
Bhopal's Temperature Details
Bhopal recorded a maximum temperature of 42.8 degrees Celsius on Friday, marginally lower than Thursday's 43.4 degrees. However, the slight dip provided little relief as hot winds and rising night temperatures pushed the city towards near-heatwave conditions. The minimum temperature in Bhopal climbed sharply to 29.8 degrees Celsius, nearly four degrees above what was recorded earlier this week.
Weather Patterns and Forecast
Weather officials attributed the ongoing extreme heat spell to the combined impact of a western disturbance and cyclonic circulation pattern affecting atmospheric conditions over central India. According to the forecast for Saturday, temperatures in Bhopal could rise further by another 2 to 3 degrees, with minimum temperatures likely to cross the 30-degree mark.
Hottest Locations in the State
Heatwave conditions were more severe in other parts of the state. Khandwa emerged as the hottest place in Madhya Pradesh, recording a maximum temperature of 45.1 degrees Celsius on Friday. Ratlam experienced official heatwave conditions during the past 24 hours, while Mandla recorded unusually warm night conditions.
Alerts Issued
The meteorological department issued an orange alert for heatwave conditions in Ratlam, Ujjain, Dhar, Indore, and Dewas districts on Saturday. A yellow alert was also sounded for several districts, including Bhopal, Gwalior, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Shivpuri, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Damoh, Sagar, Vidisha, Raisen, Rajgarh, Sehore, Harda, Neemuch, Mandsaur, Jhabua, Alirajpur, Khargone, Khandwa, Burhanpur, Barwani, and Mandla.
Temperature Anomalies
Officials reported that maximum temperatures during the last 24 hours remained 1.9 to 3 degrees above normal in districts of Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, and Sagar divisions. Minimum temperatures were recorded 2.2 to 2.7 degrees above normal in parts of Ujjain, Gwalior, Rewa, and Shahdol divisions.
Rainfall Activity
Despite the widespread heat, light rainfall activity was reported in a few places in Shahdol division and isolated pockets of Gwalior, Rewa, Jabalpur, and Sagar divisions during the last 24 hours. However, most parts of the state remained dry, allowing heat conditions to intensify further.
